The New God
by Immortalwerewolf
Summary: When Akito finally let go of her beloved zodiac, she kept a dark secret from them still. One of their own, thought to have died years earlier, is alive. Keria's back, and so is the curse. Sequel to "The Other God"
1. Akito's Secret

The morning was windy with fall scents and filled with new possibilities. A young man with strangely orange hair stood on his porch, looking out at the new day. He couldn't ask for more today, or any day in the future for that matter. He had accomplished his dream of inheriting his master's dojo, and still happily married to the person who broke his curse. And not just his, but the entire family's. Kyo Sohma was one of the people in his family cursed by the Chinese zodiac, meaning that every time he came under stress or was hugged by someone of the opposite gender, he would turn into a small cat. Along with this, Kyo had lived most of his life being shunned because he wasn't a 'true' member of the zodiac, and had carried the burden of the cat's spirit. He laughed to himself thinking of his luck finding Tohru, the only person who had really accepted him and loved him in either being himself or that ugly spirit.

But today, without warning or disposition, all that would change. Tohru hummed quietly as she readied herself for work, dressing and cleaning the rest of their mess from the night before. She walked with calm steps toward her husband, reaching out for a comforting embrace before leaving. They had done this so many times over the years, that Tohru didn't even flinch anymore when Kyo came close. That is why when that ever-so familiar puff of smoke appeared, Kyo's presence replaced by that of a cat, Tohru couldn't help but scream. Shock and complete confusion settled over the both of them, mostly that of Kyo, who sat with his back to her, wide-eyed and breathing fast. No words could explain how much everything would change now that the curse had returned.

Several hours away, a familiar face was making it's appearance once again. Left without mention or care, a patient of the General Hospital suddenly gasped for air as she sat up in the uncomfortable bed. Breathing faster than a Olympic runner, the young woman whipped around several times before taking in the scene. Unable to answer any of the questions that raced through her mind, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Ripping random tubes and patches from her skin, she attempted to run for it only to find that her legs and hips where completely numb. Panic began to leach through to her, and then her voice betrayed her. Screams escaped her throat and caught the attention of the nearby nursing staff. Soon they were huddling around her like worker bees, trying to get her back down into the bed.

"Excuse me miss, this letter came for you." A young man interrupted, handing an urgent message to the owner of the house. She was a small woman, deathly thin with unmanageable hair that seemed to shoot out in all directions. She wore a classic green kimono, taking the letter swiftly.

"What's that Akito? Is everything okay?" A man asked from inside.

"Yes, it's just a letter about the new trash day." Akito answered, glancing at the letter briefly before sticking it into her kimono. She thanked the mail man and sat back down with Shigure, returning to her semi-delectable mood. After dinner she would open the letter in private, restraining a fit of anger and panic as she read out the message:

Dear Akito Sohma,

We are pleased to inform you that due to medical advances and extreme luck, the patient you admitted has awoken from her three year coma. Please come to our hospital immediately for her rehabilitation and re-testing. We are sure that Keria Sohma will be happy to see you and the rest of the family.

Sincerely,

General Hospital of Kaibara


	2. Old Fears

The nursed padded the girl's shoulder, helping her back onto her crutches. Today had been better, ten times closer than she had been yesterday. Keria sighed loudly, pushing herself harder every day. She could feel her legs beginning to come back, more feeling spreading through. Today she could move and control down to her wrists and ankles, only days after she had woken up from a three year coma. But she didn't know that she was being watched closely, an old enemy of sorts hiding in the next room. Akito sat back in an all too regular position, debating whether she should say anything to the girl she had tried to kill at least three times. One of the nurses came out with a smile, sitting down next to her. Akito couldn't help but remember when such things would be considered impolite or disgraceful toward her. But she was a normal person now, and couldn't regard herself as anything higher.

"She's doing much better, are you sure you don't want to see her? It had been three years, and she's young enough to still be scared by this sort of thing." The nurse asked.

"We weren't exactly on the best of terms when she was hit." Akito snapped back, feeling herself becoming angry at the nurse.

"I'm not sure you understand people that well. Keria has been through a lot, and she was only seventeen. Now she's twenty without knowing how to be, and she's in a weird place like a hospital. I think contact from anybody, especially from the family, would do only good." The nurse forced, standing up wisely and turning to leave. Akito sighed out loud, considering what she had said.

"What?! How many?!" Shigure yelled, suddenly in a rush to leave the house. It was Hatori, the long-time friend he hadn't spoke to in a year. He had moved away with his girlfriend a while back, and the two just never seemed to have a chance to talk nowadays.

"I'm not sure about everyone else, but from my understanding, the curse is back. Kyo and Tohru were the first ones to realize it and called me. I want you and Akito to make your way to Sohma house for a meeting with the rest of the members of the zodiac, okay?" Hatori answered, more flustered than Shigure had ever experienced.

"Akito is actually in that area right now, I'll give her a call and meet you there." Shigure hung up the phone with a disturbing sigh, old fears coming to life. It had always been a relief and blessing when the curse of the Chinese zodiac had been lifted, but now all the consequences and drawbacks from the curse were back. Standing up to leave the room, Shigure found himself breathing hard in fear, his suitcase not packing fast enough. He had to get to Sohma house _now._

"Yuki! I'm so happy to see you!" Tohru greeted, running up the path ahead of Kyo. Yuki had returned along with everyone else in an almost panic from the new return of the long forgotten curse. He was probably the most disturbed, having to leave Machi at home while he left without reason. Being the most excited about leaving, he was also the most reluctant to come back. Soon the entire gang from three years earlier was together, Haru, Rin, Kyo, Yuki, Kagura, and oddly enough Shigure wasn't there with them. He only showed up later in a terrible mood, not talking to anyone.

"Hi Shigure, I haven't seen you in a while!" Tohru kindly offered, only to be answered by a rigid nod. No one knew what lye ahead of them in the meeting about to begin. But soon they would all realize that they weren't just passing through.


	3. New Feelings

"Then what's happening Akito? Why is the curse back if it was broken already?" Keria prodded, the lack of screaming or throwing anything surprising Akito. She was only hours away from being discharged, and Akito thought the hospital was the safest place to break all of the news to Keria.

"We don't know anything Keria, but before you go back to Sohma house, a few things have changed." She answered, Keris sitting back impatiently for the info.

"First, it's about Kyo,' she started, Keria immediately tensing up at the sound of him, 'he's fine, and he's actually moved on with Tohru." Akito sighed, bracing herself for the onslaught that was expected. But Keria merely let out a small "Oh." and sat back again, looking out the window into the city. Seconds passed until she finally sighed happily and ran her hand through her hair.

"It was only about a ten second fling, and I liked Tohru a lot. I'm glad I didn't hold him back." She responded sadly, moving her gaze to her hands in her lap. Akito cocked her head in confusion, then sat down in the chair next to her biological daughter, seeing her in a new light. All this time she had thought Keria would come back a monster, the demon that had attacked her just hours before she ordered Hatori to get rid of Keria. But now Akito saw the human, a young girl who was just learning that her previous love affair had moved on while she lye in a bed unconscious.

"Keria, there's actually a lot more. As fate would have it, Shigure and I have actually been living together for the past year. And oddly enough, the whole family has just sort of drifted away from here." She finished, feeling the weight of her words as they left her mouth. She was delivering such disturbing and unhappy news, and she found herself regretting it. Keria breathed out slowly, closing her eyes before starting to cry softly. Akito's hand suddenly reached forward, barely grazing Keria's inherited dark hair before stopping in it's track. She had done too much, and getting her emotions in the way wasn't going to make Keria forgive her for everything she had done. Akito suddenly was breathing fast, a weird feeling taking over her entire body until it ached. Was this Guilt?

"You'll be staying at Sohma house until you are fully recovered from this Keria. I don't care how long it takes you, we have to figure out what is going on." She said, standing up to quickly leave. On the other side of the door, Akito felt herself begin to cry for the first time since she had been with Shigure. Her small found rang suddenly, surprising her to the point of jumping.

"Hello?"

"Hey Akito, I'm just driving up to the hospital, are all your tests done?" Shigure asked. Akito had had to lie to him earlier, saying she was getting her yearly check-up in case of anything odd happened. But she couldn't keep any of this away from Shigure, wanting as much of the guilt as possible to disappear.

"Shigure, there's something I need to tell you. Come to the front." Akito commanded, shutting the phone and marching her way to the doors.

Shigure walked up just as Akito came out of the doors, holding his hands out for an embrace. But Akito shook her head, her arms straight as boards and eyes down.

"What's the matter? Is it bad news?" Shigure whined, suddenly scared for her.

"No Shigure, I'm perfectly fine. It's about someone else, and I'm scared that f you find out from someone else you'll hate me for it." She retorted, almost talking fast enough to slur her words. "Keria is alive Shigure. She's in there right now, getting ready to come to Sohma house to see the zodiac meeting." She finally confessed, fists screaming in pain as she tightened them. Shigure's only answer was silence, then a small laugh.

"You can be very evil sometimes Akito. I'll take you back to Sohma house for some rest, okay?"

"No Shigure! I'm telling the truth! She's in there right now, and Hatori is going to pick me up in a few minutes and see for himself!" Akito shouted, just wanting the punishment to begin. He had to be furious with her, want her to never come near him again.

"Your delusional Akito! And since you have Hatori already, I'm going back to the main house." He retorted, turning away to walk swiftly to his car. Akito gasped for air, every word a bullet to her heart. He wouldn't believe it until he saw it for himself. But all in good time, Akito returned back to Keria's bedside, hiding away any clues to what just happened.

"You are not allowed to see anyone from the family besides me or Hatori for a while, understand? Everyone thinks you're dead, and just showing up might make some of them go insane."

That night, Akito and Shigure had moved into one of the small houses in the main estate, not talking the entire night. Keria was kept in the main house in one of the guest bedrooms, Hatori on call if she needed anything. Akito woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water when she noticed the office's light was on. Peeking in through the sliding door, she found Shigure sitting at his desk. She assumed he had been writing to keep his mind off things when she noticed what was lying open on the desk. An old photo album, chock full of colored photos from the past. But Shigure was gazing at just one, centered in the middle of the page. It was him back in his teens, standing up while holding onto a little girl's hands. She had to have been three or four, a giant smile across her face and long black hair flying midair. Akito would never understand how much pain all this put Shigure in, closing the door silently and returning to bed.

At the main house, Keria sat up without sleep, fully clothed with her amulet in her hand. She had wasted three years on her back, missing out on her transition into adulthood. She pondered on an idea for a few minutes before coming to her decision, jumping off the mattress and escaping from the window.


	4. Welcome Home

The meeting of the century was finally beginning, all now present members of the zodiac sitting around a large room. Akito appeared in the center, wrapped in all black with a grim expression.

"I would say welcome to all of you, but under the circumstances I understand that most of your are very angry. And I don't blame you, and I'm sad to say that I don't have a solution. I know the cause of our misfortune, and you have to trust that I'm telling the truth." She proclaimed, a few murmurs creeping through the room lowly. A few eyed Shigure, who sat in a corner without looking up at Akito.

"A few years ago, we suffered a major loss in the family with the loss of Keria..."

"Look who's talking! You're the one who ordered her shooting!" An infuriated Rin suddenly shouted, taking a few threatening steps towards Aktio before she was pulled back by Haru. Akito looked up at her, but Rin didn't stop, only freezing when she caught Akito's gaze. The room inhaled all together in surprise, realizing what had just happened.

"It seems that my hypothesis is correct Rin, thank you for testing it." Akito admitted coolly as Rin sat back down, "My power over this family has vanished, leaving me the only one unaffected by the return of the curse." Again, everyone looked over to the now shocked Shigure, who was staring intently at Akito.

"I've been replaced everyone, by another God who hasn't released you from her grasp. But you cannot blame her, for I'm not even sure she knows she's doing it. Three years ago, I lied to all of you so that you would forget she ever existed. But I can't hide the fact that Keria is alive anymore. She's been in a deep coma since the incident, and just awoke a few days ago." Gasps filled the room, conversations starting up with the older members. Rin and Haru were staring forward in shock, suddenly standing in unison to leave. Kyo's head hung low, his hand wrapped around Tohru's for comfort. The room filled with voices, some angry and others apathetic.

Shigure cussed, standing up and walking to the hallway. But before he could turn toward the back door, a noise caught his attention. Down the hallway, two voices were laughing loudly. Taking a deep breath, Shigure marched toward the noise, preparing himself for the worst. The doorway came too fast, just a foot away. Leaning against the wall, he listened hard for the voices again. He immediately recognized one, an older Momiji laughing loudly and commenting on the other one.

"That sounds like a good way to catch up Keria." He laughed, Shigure's insides churning into a sick cramp.

"Yeah, it's a long shot, but what else am I going to do in this prison?" the second answered, Shigure's head spinning by now. It was all impossible, Shigure's sanity at stake.

The amulet gleamed it's normal red sheen, held high in front of a low lamp. Keria was laughing at herself with one of her more favorable relatives. The always amusing Momiji had skipped out of the meeting to find Keria plotting her next move.

"Well if you think about it, Kyo's bracelet worked for him because it was soaked in the blood of... something." Momiji thought, laying across the bottom of the small bed.

"Yeah, Hatori never said where this thing came from, so I won't use it all up. I'll keep some of it just in case." Keria commented, putting the endless knot down in her lap.

"But don't they hurt, you know, tattoos are pretty serious..." Momiji had tried to say, only to be interrupted by a sudden slam on the other side of Keria's door. they both looked up, but nothing else came. Keria sighed, looking over to the strangely tall man lying on her bed.

"So how has it been Momiji? You look so different in a suit." She laughed, shuffling with his hair. Momiji laughed and sat up, suddenly excited to tell his story.

"Well about a year ago my dad had come in with a deal in mind. He said that since I wasn't a member of the zodiac that I could do anything I wanted, and that meant that I had to see the world, and they had to see me. I had a growth spurt earlier that year, I guess I'm just a little slow." He explained, Keria nodding to herself. It was weird to see him like this, looking more like a blond version of Haru, and just an inch from his height. Momiji sure had changed while she had spent all her time in a deep coma. It scared Keria to think that everyone else might have changed this much.

"So where did you go after you started wearing men's clothing?"

"Germany, I already knew the language." He joked, standing back up. Momiji stopped short of leaving, becoming serious. "Is it true, the curse I mean. Is it back because of you?" He asked, shoulders tensing up.

"I don't know Momiji, I really don't hope so." Keria answered, looking back down at her hands. Momiji brightened up, reassuring her that no one really blamed her and left the room. Stopping just outside the door, he didn't seem surprised by Shigure sitting on the floor.

"What tattoo were you guys talking about Momiji?" He asked, making no effort to get up. Momiji sighed, staring intently at the opposite wall in concentration before answering. Shigure hadn't seen the young man in a long time either, and could hardly believe it was the same person talking to him from three years ago.

"Why don't you suck it up and ask her yourself?"


	5. Kyo

Akito might have guessed what would happen next, but couldn't help but be surprised when Keria didn't answer her knock the morning after the meeting. After a whole minute of silence, she chanced opening the door herself, only to be met by emptiness. The bed was made, the room stripped clean of all possessions, and a window left blowing in a chilling breeze. It was early winter by now, but the cold was just as effective on Akito. Back when Keria had been living with her before, Akito had tried to cage her and control this new pet. But Keria wasn't someone to lye on her back and give up. No one could hold her down, not even her own family. The rest of the zodiac felt betrayed, angry that she would leave them at such dire times. Everyone wanted answers, and a cure for their curse once again. Rin stayed at home constantly, waiting by the open back door all day with the hopes of Keria returning to her. Tohru cried once again, only able to be sad instead of angry at her friend.

Weeks passed, and still no word from their New God. There were rumors that she was plotting revenge on Akito or Hatori, or killed herself because of the guilt of the curse. But nothing very solid was ever concluded, just an entire family thrown into confusion. Kyo stayed at the dojo most nights, not really doing much of anything than paper-work that wasn't even required or needed. He had kept his feelings buried from his wife, not even sure how he felt about Keria anymore. A small spark of him was torn up inside, feeling guilty for even moving on at all. He should have known about it, Keria's death a complete cover-up. The funeral was playing again, the glowing white snow sticking to the closed ebony coffin that lowered into the frozen ground. How long had it taken him to admit his feelings to Tohru? A day, a few weeks? How long would it have taken to find out the truth? His thoughts were such a blur of angst that he suddenly burst in anger and threw a folder across the room and into the wall. But as he stood to pick it up, a small shivering figure stood in the doorway.

"You still haven't taken care of that temper I see." Keria sighed, more scared in her tone than anything else. But Kyo wasn't looking at her grim expression, only the torn sleeve on her right shoulder. A normal person would have frozen in this weather, but she wasn't even pale. A haunting symbol in dark red ink had been carved into her arm, Death.

"And you're still as crazy as ever, Keria." The name seemed to burn on his tongue, a taboo. A ghost was standing in front of him, and she was even showing her feelings. Something he still couldn't do. She looked up, eyes dark as tears poured over her face.

"I didn't want to go to the main house to look for Rin and Haru. I might run into Aya or someone else who's mad at me. Akito said you run this place now, right?" She blurted, not moving to come in any further.

"Yeah, my master left it to me after he retired a year ago. I think he would have liked to meet the one person he didn't train that could beat me." He laughed, bending over to pick up the papers. "I'll take you to Rin's." He finished.

They walked slowly, barely close enough to be side by side. Keria kept pulling on her hands and tripping on the sidewalk.

"So where have you been Keria? A lot of us were really worried about you." Kyo asked, not looking up.

"Here and there, just trying to find somewhere else to live. But apparently a lot of that takes a lot of money. " She sighed, reaching up to her tattoo. "I saw you looking at this Kyo, and I've been meaning to talk to you about that." She paused, Rin's house just up the block now. "To you and Yuki especially, I'm so sorry I did this to you. It's because of me that you can't get close to Tohru anymore, and everything about the curse coming back." She sobbed. Kyo looked over with his eyes, noticing how much pain this was causing her to carry this guilt alone. Akito was born with this and sometimes came off as purely evil. But Keria wasn't that person, and felt every person's grief from the curse on her shoulders. When they stopped in front of the house, he reached out to her hand when she stepped forward.

"None of us really hate you Keria. Tohru, Yuki, and all the others are just glad you're alive. I'm sure that they are willing to live with the curse with you still around like I would." He blurted, trying harder than ever to bury and hide his emotions from her. Keria froze with an expression of pure amazement, then finally smiled. He hadn't seen that smile in so long, it was almost heartbreaking. Then it faded, Keria stepping back towards him.

"You're troubled too Kyo, I could almost smell it when I came to the dojo. But..." She turned away, sighing loudly and shaking her head awkwardly. "I really like Tohru, and the fact that you found her to make you happy just makes me love her more. Whatever we had, it's nothing compared to your love for her, I just know it." Her complete acceptance of this surprised Kyo, all his guilt suddenly lifting off his shoulders.

"You two need to visit, I'll be here." She smiled, leaning forward to kiss his cheek and turn back to the porch. Kyo smiled to himself, and for the first time in weeks, felt like everything was going to be alright.


	6. Hatsuharu

Her arms wouldn't move like every time her shame overwhelmed her. It felt like just yesterday that she was apologizing to Haru for sending him through a wall and turning into that horrible monster. Those memories were her very last, and had happened so long ago, but Keria could still see them vividly. These past few weeks the guilt of bringing the curse back to the Sohma family had nearly killed her, nothing really meaning anything to her anymore. It had taken a while, but soon Keria had realized that she was doing the exact same thing she had been for the past few years; lying on her back and not taking control. She pulled up her jacket to hide her right shoulder, took a deep breath, and knocked loudly on the door in front of her. But the second in which Haru opened the door, gasped in surprise, and stepped forward to show his slightly older face, Keria lost all reserve.

"I'm so sorry Haru! I'm sorry!" She panicked, her whole chest feeling like it would crack in half. Her heart fluttered painfully from the surprise of her almost brother being so much different. Haru caught her from hitting the ground, grabbing her shoulders and making her face him.

"Keria? Keria are you okay? Tell me what happened, where have you been?" He breathed, almost panicking himself. Here was someone he had thought to have died, disappearing and reappearing on his porch. Was she hurt? What had she been doing? Keria took a solid breathe, looking up at him with teary eyes. "Keria what's wrong?" He asked again.

"I'm just so happy to see you Haru, I don't think I could ever explain it!" She sighed finally, letting go of all her worry and hoping he wouldn't be mad. Haru laughed at her, picking her up and into a full hug. They were together for close to a minute when another voice appeared from behind him.

"Haru? Who's at the door...?" But Rin's words were stolen out of her mouth, her eyes widening as she realized who had come home. Keria looked at her over Haru's shoulder, not sure what Rin was going to do. But Haru was suddenly ripped from under her, lightly knocking into the side wall as Rin's arms were wrapping around her torso tightly. "You scared me to death Keria!" She breathed.

Soon it was just like it had been before the accident, Keria lwith her foster siblings at Sohma house. She would wake up in the morning, thankful that it wasn't another three years in the future. Coming down the stairs, she noticed Haru sitting at a desk in his office, tapping the ashes off of a cigarette and reading a news paper. She gave out a small laugh, Haru looking up curiously.

"Was I doing something funny?" He asked, smiling himself.

"I just can't really picture you being such an adult Haru! You do look funny!" She laughed, walking in and sitting across from him.

"Well I still have the earrings if that helps, and the crazy colored hair." He pointed out, putting the cigarette out on the desk. Keria still giggled for a few minutes, chatting casually with him until the real topic came to light. She looked at all the moving boxes still taped shut around the room, and noticed that none of the furniture looked used at all.

"What were you guys doing before you had to come back?" She asked, pulling her knees up into a hug. Haru looked up from the paper with a surprised look, and then sighed.

"Nothing really special, just living as normally as we could. I mean we both worked, but we were away from here, and that's what counted." He explained, seeing the pain well up in Keria's eyes. "But it is nice to see you again, even if we have to put up with all the family." He insisted, poking her in the leg. Keria smiled, but still couldn't help feeling guilty for the ironic sudden ending of their human lives the moment she came back from the dead.

"So what do you plan on doing Keria, now that you're back?" Haru asked, Keria taking a second to wonder also. She really didn't have any plans for the future, not even a career idea.

"I'm just going to... stay around everyone for a while, that sounds best considering what I did to them." She sighed. Haru's eyes narrowed, a strange feeling suddenly coming off of Keria in that moment. All she wanted to do was be around the family, have nothing to do with the outside world.

Just like Akito.

Just like a God.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door, Keria jumping up to answer it ahead of Haru. Opening the door though, Keria froze in place, eyes locking with their guest. Hatori didn't look happy as usual, but glared at Keria with more contempt that normal. Haru and Keria were both silent, waiting for the onslaught of yelling and scolding, Hatori forcing her to go back to the main house.

"I had heard you were staying here, I just wanted to make sure it was true. Could I talk to you for a few moments Keria?" He asked, nodding his head at Haru and following her outside to the cold air on the porch. Haru glared hatefully at Hatori, going back to his office to wait for Keria to come back.

"You can't stay here for long Keria, but for right now it's fine." Hatori said, lighting a cigarette.

"Why not Hatori? It's not like I'll be exploding any time soon into that monster again, you made sure of that." She argued, purposely not reaching for the amulet that kept her in her human skin. Hatori lifted an eye-brow, noticing that it wasn't around her neck anymore.

"So where is the amulet I gave you anyway?" He asked, Keria sighing and pulling a thin string that hung around her neck. The amulet was much smaller than before, almost the size of a craft bead, only a few knots of the tangle left on the front. Hatori leaned forward to see it with his aged eyes, furrowing his brow at the small metal spectacle.

"It's been modified a little, just so it won't ever be a problem." Keria explained, putting it back under her shirt.

"So where did the rest of it go? Did you sell it or something?" Hatori assumed, breathing in the smoke deeply before making a large cloud of gray that surrounded them. Keria sighed, pulling up her long pajama's sleeve, revealing the tribal tattoo covering her upper shoulder now. In the sun's light, it seemed to reflected a strange red, though it was naturally black on her skin.

"I asked the artist to crushing some of it into the ink, and it works just like the amulet would." Keria went on, watching Hatori's expression change from anger to curiosity, and then finally to assurance.

"At least it works, I would have asked you to get rid of it if it didn't." He sighed, though he seemed to distant himself as the words left his mouth. The air was uncomfortable for a few moments, both of them looking around the porch at other houses before finally back at each other.

"Keria, there's a theory that I've been working with about your return, and you may not like what I am about to ask you to do." He sighed, finishing his cigarette and stomping it out on the porch wood. Keria crossed her arms, readying herself for the news.

"We think, that because the former members of the zodiac, except for Akito, have the curse once again, that it may have something to do with you. I think maybe since you are indeed part of Akito, that you may have been chosen to be the New God, and the curse will not fully be released until you do the same thing that Akito did." Hatori explained, lighting other cigarette. Keria's breathing became fast, her chest beginning to hurt.

"So all of this, everyone being cursed again, it's really my fault?" She asked, looking around as if she was going to run. Hatori became rigid, never thinking of that conclusion. He himself wasn't angry with Keria, only relieved that she was alive to see a new day. That day he had unwillingly carried out the order to kill her, had been what he considered to be the worst day of his life.

"I assure you Keria, I certainly hope that I am wrong."


	7. Shigure

Chapter 7 – Shigure

As Hatori left to go home, it felt like the weight of a thousand worlds had collided onto each side of her body, Keria couldn't even breathe at this point. It may not have been so terrible for any one else in the zodiac, but being cursed had been an utter nightmare for her. She couldn't even be touched by anyone on the outside, keeping everyone at bay from ever coming near her. Why couldn't she have been destined for something more normal and forgiving? Why did she have to always bring pain to those she loved?

"I have to go." She blurted, marching straight into the house, past Haru's office and back up to her room where she quickly changed. Her insides were turning to stone quickly, vision blurring as the tears wouldn't stop flowing down her face. She had cursed them, damned everyone to the same fate as before. And what was worse, they knew the lives they would never have now thanks to her.

Running down the stairs she escaped through the door before Haru could protest, yelling "I'll be back!" before making it to the outside cold. Inside of a minute she was in front of His house, still choking on her own thoughts about being the New God. She didn't want to be that person, the scape goat for everyone. She just wanted to live, and enjoy being here. But she couldn't make herself knock either, fist shaking violently without moving upward. She suddenly gasped for air, her lungs burning at the freezing winter. The door slid open then, first slowly, then suddenly snapping to the other side. He looked down at her in surprise, wondering what in the world could be wrong with her. Keria couldn't stop the crying, looking up at her brother with blurry vision.

"I'm so sorry Shigure!" She burst, not waiting for an invite as she hugged him close. He wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace. Shigure was surprised to see her, amazed that this ghost was standing before him, but couldn't deny her. He could almost feel tears welling up in his eyes from the moment he saw her.

"I don't want to be like this Shigure! I don't want to be the New God! I just want to come home!" She cried, face buried into his shoulder. Shigure tried to calm her down, knowing all too well about Hatori's 'theory' on the curse and its mysterious return. Keria couldn't stop the tears, twelve different reasons driving her to just keep going. Shigure didn't hurry her, or try to go inside from the cold. This was the best way he could to just come to terms, that Keria was here, another chance to be with her had come.

That night he had waited for her for a while before he heard the actual shot. Running as fast as he could, Shigure broke through the trees just in time to see Kyo punch Hatori to the ground a final time. Keria lye on the ground, covered in blood, her eyes closed. Shigure's body tensed as he thought of his own scream, seeing his closest thing to sister dead in that field. It took him a long time to forgive Akito, but believed she was a changed person when she let the Zodiac go.

"Keria, why are you sorry? You haven't done anything wrong." He asked, stroking her hair on her back.

"I'm sorry for existing! For ruining everyone's lives and bringing them back to this awful place!" Keria panicked, not lifting her head to look up to him. Shigure sighed, at odds as to what to do with himself. Suddenly a floor board creaked behind him, someone else in the house behind him. Shigure turned slightly to see Akito, dressed to go out. He couldn't help but glare, knowing that it was her traits tearing his family apart. Aktio looked down, away form his gaze, and left. Why had he gone to her? What kept him in this house with the person that caused so much pain over the years? His grip on Keria tightened as Akito left, though he didn't notice Keria couldn't breathe.

"Oh, sorry about that." Shigure apologized, stepping back quickly. Keria took a few deep breaths, then waved off his panic.

"I'm okay, it's probably good that you stopped me there, I was getting a little too overwhelmed." She breathed, bent over and holding her sides. Shigure smiled at the young girl, walking her into the living room and siting her down.

"It is really nice to see you Keria, especially under the circumstances." He sighed, sitting across from her and leaning against one of his hands.

"Yeah sorry about that, I just have a lot on my mind right now." Keria answered, still looking down at the table. Shigure shifted uneasy, almost feeling the self-hate radiating off of Keria at that point. Somehow it was too potent, like she was using it to cover up something else. But no one he had talked to blamed Keria at all, they just figured she would find a way to break the curse once again. So why all the fuss over something that didn't even exist, or something that hadn't happened?

"Keria, did you come all the way over here just to confirm what you already knew?" Shigure asked. Keria looked up curiously, then readjusted herself in her own discomfort.

"Well, there is something else, but I didn't really even know what it was until probably just this morning." She explained. Keria looked up at the walls, then back at all the other rooms, as if someone who wasn't supposed to hear her would know a huge secret.

"Shigure, I don't know what to do about Kyo." She sighed, her body finally relaxing as she sat back on her feet, "Even though its been three years since that day I was shot, it's only felt like maybe hours to me. I still feel the same way, and when he told me about him and Tohru, well it took almost every once of my body not to start crying and play it off." She was still looking at the table, and when she looked up at Shigure, she was met with wide eyes.

"Oh... I didn't now we were going to have that talk."


	8. The New God is back!

I'M BAAAAAACK!

The New God is being re-written and revised!

New Chapters will be released ASAP with a new story, continuing 'The Other God' in a new light!

Keep updated as these changes are made!


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